


Fool's Gold

by foolycoolie



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Vanguard Cayde, finally writing some actual smooches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 21:04:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15782085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foolycoolie/pseuds/foolycoolie
Summary: “If I can find you, I will. If not, stay alive.”





	Fool's Gold

_Ah shit. Shit shit shit. This looks bad. This looks really bad._

So the situation was: Cayde, Andal, the remnants of an old computer network which contained important info needed to map the ship routes through the system, a limited amount of ammo, and a shit ton of Fallen between them and their goal. This was supposed to be a simple patrol mission, an in and out job. Tallulah hadn’t told them they were gonna encounter resistance in the area, much less one of the biggest infestations of Fallen they had ever seen right in the middle of the European Dead Zone. So yeah, things had certainly been better.

The two Hunters were currently crouched on a ledge high above the group of Fallen below them, currently undetected. If they had a bigger fireteam, they would have a better chance of being able to fight their way through to the central network node. As of the moment, they were completely outnumbered and way too far down to be able to request backup now. There was nothing else they could do but continue the plan as it originally stood. Cayde was quickly checking and reloading Ace of Spades while Andal set himself up into a makeshift perch with The Hunt. Their current plan was to try and clear through as many Fallen as they could until they could make a straight beeline through to where the node was located. Cayde gave Andal a cursory glance and received a short nod in return. Clicking the chamber of the handcannon into place, he nodded as well before standing up and leaping off the ledge.

Solar Light crackled as it surged through him, manifesting as flames across his form as he fired off three perfect shots into a group of Vandals that collapsed as he landed on the ground. He let off another five shots at the closest Fallen to him, before rolling backwards and firing the last four shots in his clip. He heard the hissing of a Dreg behind him and with a fluid motion, yanked the knife out of his thigh holster and sliced upwards into its throat. He leant back and kicked the Fallen away, before spinning around to stab another Dreg first in the stomach then directly in the forehead.

Cayde ducked away towards a small bit of cover, reaching for the ammo stored in his pocket to reload Ace of Spades. He glanced up for a second, searching for Andal’s form. Sure enough he found the other Hunter, firing off perfect shot after perfect shot. He allowed himself to smile for a brief second, before ducking out and firing off two clean shots at a Vandal. Even though Cayde and Andal had taken out a good number of the Fallen that were swarming the room, it seemed as though those they had killed had already been replaced with new predators. Cayde briefly kicked in his comms to shout a message,

**“Hey, uh, Andal, I don’t think the ‘shoot em all to death’ strategy is really working well this time.”**

**“There’s a Captain at the front of the room, blocking the entrance to where we need to go. If you manage to knock out his shield, I’ll have a clear shot and then we can rush it.”**

Cayde peeks out from cover and sure as hell, there’s a big ugly four armed Captain standing at the head of the crowd. He put Ace of Spades away, opting for the Arc-infused scout rifle on his back. He fired a volley of shots, with a handful of them missing but enough finding purchase to enrage his target. Cayde started running around the side of the room, avoiding the majority of Fallen but keeping eyesight with the Captain. He paused for a few seconds to let out another burst of gunfire, watching the edges of the blue shield begin to fizzle and break apart.

 **“Shield’s nearly down!”** Cayde yelled through the comms. He didn’t even hesitate for a second, throwing down the scout rifle and leaping up over the cover. While still in the air, he ripped Ace of Spades from his side and fanned the hammer, letting out all twelve shots in quick succession before he crashed into the rubble. Cayde quickly got back up onto his feet, seeing the shield dissipate from around the Captain. **“Andal, now!”**

And he saw a volley of fire burst around the Captain, but surging out from him instead of towards him. That was the moment he realised that the Fallen had been holding onto a Scorch Cannon the whole time.

 

**“Cayde!”**

His optics take a second to refocus the mass of dark shapes into Andal’s face peering over him. He immediately spotted Sundance too, hovering above Andal’s shoulder as he feels some of the feeling come back to his limbs. He can’t distract himself from the immense feeling of pain in his stomach. He attempts to sit up for a second, getting about halfway there before spotting the gaping hole in his torso that is currently leaking coolant and other vital fluids. _Ah, shit_.

 **_“Cayde-6, you’re a real piece of shit sometimes, you know that right?”_ ** Sundance’s voice cut through his head clear as day and he almost chuckled.

 **“Glad to be here, Sun.”** He turned his head away from his Ghost towards Andal, who was currently cupping the back of Cayde’s head with his hand. Concern was plainly painted across the human’s face as he looked over him, giving him a grimacing smile. Cayde could sense the lingering Solar energy coming off of Andal, like the phantom heat on your skin after a bad burn.

 **“Did you finish off the Captain?”** Cayde manages to croak out, suddenly noticing how little energy there is in his body. No doubt cause of how damaged his body is and Sundance draining every last bit of Light in this place to heal him.

 **“No thanks to you, Six.”** Andal gave him a genuine smile at that. The ends of his words were drained out by the screeches and clicks of the Eliksni tongue, muffled through the metal walls. **“But there’s still an army of Fallen out there, and we still need to get to that node.”**

Sundance quickly zooms up to be at eye level with Andal. **_“Andal Brask, there is no way in hell I’m letting you take Cayde back out there.”_**

Andal gently cups the Ghost with one hand, giving them a soft smile. **“I know you’re not. I’m going back in there on my own.”**

Cayde quickly tries to stagger back up onto his feet, wrestling out of Andal’s grasp and using the wall to steady himself. **“Like hell you’re not.”**

**“Listen, Jett scanned the building and she found a series of ventilation shafts that lead right near where the node is. Can’t speak for their quality, but you’re out of commission and we don’t have another option.”**

**“Andal.”** Cayde grabs onto both of Andal’s wrist, pulling himself in closer. **“You can’t go out there by your own. We’re finishing this mission together or not at all.”**

**“No, Cayde. I’m the senior Guardian on this mission. You’re badly injuried and we’re in a low Light zone. As it is, Sundance is already running this place dry trying to keep you from dying before we get back to the surface. If you stay down here, we’re both fucked. I can sneak in and out without drawing too much attention, and buy you time to get back up to the surface and ping the Tower.”**

He knew that Andal was right, there was no chance he would be much of a fighter in this state. If he walked out there, he’d be dead in two seconds flat. He could hear the Fallen beginning to claw at the door and walls to the tiny room they were secluded in off the main area. All the noise seemed to drown out as Cayde looked at Andal. The scruff along his jawline, the soft features of his face, and those pale green eyes. They had an edge of blue to them in the dim light, like seaglass.

 **“Andal, I…”** Cayde never finished his thought, because Andal had already leant in and pushed his lips against the Exo’s mouth. The action took a few seconds to recognize, and by the time he had realised what was happening, Andal had already pulled away. His hands were on either side of Cayde’s face, gently brushing the metal plates.

 **“I love you.”** Andal whispered in the darkness, a secret held by only the two of them. **“If I can find you, I will. If not, stay alive.”**

And in a flash, he was gone, scaling up the metal railing and disappearing into a open vent. The feeling of Andal’s lips lingered there for a while as Cayde vacantly watched his friend disappear. He couldn’t summon the energy to call out to Andal on the comms, the breath failing to form. Sundance gently brushed against his sleeve and Cayde looked down towards them.

 **_“C’mon, we need to start moving.”_ ** It took Cayde a few seconds to register Sundance’s words, but he gave them a short nod when he did. With one last glance, he turned away and started climbing towards the open doorway above them on their journey back to the surface.

_You better come home, Andal. You better come home._

 

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this short fic back in april/may for my cayde blog based on a critical role sentence meme and finally decided to post it up here. a lot of the little details about cayde and andal (eg. weapon and ghost names) are mainly headcanon between my friend and i, but sundance is actually the canon name for cayde's ghost (which i only found out very recently).
> 
> (alt name for this fic: cayde is a giant dumbass but what's new)


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